.
We have nearly as many tight ends as receivers on the Spring roster, and I remember hearing that the tight ends learn all the receiver routes. Perhaps unfortunate the team doesn’t have a light tight end who could move to receiver, a la Hayden Hatten. But they’ll play a lot of two tight ends this year.

Soto and the head coach are a tandem, coaching at 3 schools together. Soto was assistant head coach at the previous stop.
Mercer’s freshman QB who started six games transferred last week to Oklahoma.
Davis may have half the defense starting lineup show up for the first time in summer camp.
A real challenge for coaches on both teams to get their teams ready in week 0.

The Analyst has a updated preseason ranking of FCS teams where Davis is ranked 15th.
Of the 14 teams ranked higher, Davis plays four of them, Montana State, Sac, Idaho and Mercer and they also play 18th ranked Southern Utah. Throw in Washington and that is a challenging schedule.
This is a hard year to forecast, all the FCS teams have significant player turnover.

https://theanalyst.com/2025/05/fcs-football-preseason-top-25-rankings-2025

Anthony Soto, Aggie alum and former wide receiver 2009-2012 is the Mercer Offensive Coordinator and QB coach. Plough was passing game coordinator during three of Soto’s years playing at Davis. Soto later had a quality control role under Ron Gould. 2014-2015.

Sac offered him. How could he pass that up?

How does someone graduate from a prestigious university in basically a year and a half? Football eligibility wise he has two years and a redshirt year remaining.
He was mentioned positively by Plough in both of Plough’s Spring football press videos conferences, so he is a definite contender for playing time here.
His X timeline shows he had offers from multiple FBS and FCS schools, UMASS, New Hampshire, Youngstown, Western Michigan, Kent State, etc.

Ty Richardson, our transfer from Tufts is a grad student. That is impressive considering he graduated from Menlo school in 2023. Kid doesn’t waste time.
He only played 14 games over two seasons at Tufts and this last year was selected on 3 All American Teams. He and his year older brother, currently a wide receiver at USC went to Tufts as their mother is an alum. Was on Spring roster.

Highly rated commits too. They may have a wad of cash they want to spend before the NIL tightens rules. What could the draw be other than cash? Tradition, national reputation, history, value of degree; I don’t think so.

Before they sign the offers will have to be in writing.

It would be more interesting if their record meant something at the end of the year. They have a relatively easy Big Sky schedule as they miss Montana State, and get Montana and Idaho at home

Sac in 2025 will be a team playing meaningless exhibition games, running up the score against FCS teams, several of whom are among the weakest teams in the country, Northern Colorado, Cal Poly Mercyhurst. Their one FBS opponent, Nevada, was 3-10. Sacramento media will try to hype the program and keep the excitement alive, but there won’t be national interest, except as a curiosity.
Sac’s strategy of a transformational year took a big hit when they made themselves ineligible for the playoffs by starting their transition to FBS this season.

The last time Davis had no returning starter at QB was Spring of 2021. That first game against Idaho was very entertaining. and broke a decade long drought against ranked opponents. Played 3 QBs.

Just speculation by a Sac Bee writer, unless there is a source.

In the mid 70s Davis didn’t have Spring football practice. I’m not sure when they started Davis spring football, but likely not in Moroski’s time, probably not while in the FWC or NCAC.
Pinnick is on the baseball roster this year, but probably redshirting.

They didn’t come to Sac for the education.
They didn’t come for the chance to be in the playoffs
They didn’t come to be on a ranked team.
Most don’t have a shot to play pro and will realize that when they don’t start at sac or if they do don’t standout..
Not many have biographies that show they are self motivated, while a few seem to be un-amenable to discipline.
I imagine come mid-October most will be thinking what am i doing here?

If sac is spending a lot of $ on these players one has to question whether that $ would be better spent when they start playing FBS schedule, something that is easier said than done without a conference affiliation.

“At FCS-level Sacramento State, Marion is offering players in the portal an opportunity to compete for a starting job, to be part of the rolling momentum of a program that seeks entry into the FBS and could well be a preseason Top 10 team in the FCS this fall“

Glosses over the fact that they’ll be an “FCS” team with an asterisk , ineligible for the playoffs, and possibly not in compliance with Big Sky scholarship limits. They should be listed as an independent this year. Players joining a team to play for nothing, no playoffs, no conference championship, and no listing in many FCS rankings, like Delaware last year.

The Big Sky still has a 63 scholarship maximum, partials can be divided among up to a total of 105.
I don’t see how Sac can bring in that amount of players and not exceed the 63 scholarships, divided or not.

Sac announced 29 NIL signees, are reported by the Bee to have 50 via the transfer portal. How does that work within a 63 full scholarship limit, even if some of those are divided and distributed over 105 players. Are they entitled to FBS scholarship limits while in transition?

They don’t have an FBS schedule, they are playing meaningless FCS games, if they go 12-0, thats only important if fans think it predicts something about the team two years hence. 12-0, 11-1, 10-2 will get them the stories about they’re being deserving of being a playoff or bowl team, anything less is ho-hum. I think their season will be a success if the head coach sticks around, the players don’t generate bad news, and their recruiting next year helps them for when they start playing an FBS schedule, if that ever happens.

Success for them will be generating enthusiasm, plus giving the impression that they can sustain success. Ineligible for playoffs. Big Sky Championship may be dependent on whether they adhere to Big Sky rules on number of scholarships, which seems unlikely.
Sustaining success is going to be a challenge with the roster turnover and the rent a coach history of their head coach.

Is a meaningless Cal Poly game at Sac, going to draw better than the prior conference match between the two teams? The FBS aura doesn’t attach instantaneously and Sac’s fan base is going to want to see FBS teams, which is what the move promised them. Attendance won’t generate revenue to buy home games from teams like Cal Poly. The whole schedule is wishful thinking.